Illusion Dream

His boots strode across the marsh, yet Lu Yan'an's figure didn't tremble in the slightest. He walked as though on level ground—a degree of control that only a warrior who had brought his strength to its peak could achieve.

He strode openly through the swamp, making no attempt to conceal his tracks.

He'd heard before that even the mightiest expert feared being surrounded by thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of opponents of the same rank. Once trapped in that mire, even the greatest genius would ultimately meet a bitter end!

It sounded reasonable, but Lu Yan'an truly didn't believe it. In the world of Swallowed Star, once someone was talented enough, even being surrounded by countless opponents of the same rank was just a matter of sending them to their deaths! He might not even expend more energy than he could recover.

Behind him, a golden blade-wheel flashed past like a streak of light, darting out from the canopy of an ancient tree. Stained with blood, it shot straight toward Lu Yan'an's head.

At that moment, Lu Yan'an stopped. The aura of illusion around him surged, and his Illusion Dream domain swept out, engulfing the Controller who had ambushed him. How fast could mental power spread? Lu Yan'an's secret art provided the answer. Just as the golden blade-wheel was about to strike him, the Controller lost consciousness!

Though the wheel had lost its wielder's control, it still hurtled toward Lu Yan'an on its own momentum. At the critical moment, Lu Yan'an tilted his head slightly and dodged the attack. Then he continued walking without pause. This wasn't the first time he'd been harassed with an attack like this!

First, I'll spend a few days reaching the center of this forest, then lie in wait there, Lu Yan'an thought. That way, the strong fighters in this World Zone can do my work for me.

The mud, swamps, and forests here were filled with dangers. Without sufficient strength, it was impossible to reach the heart of the forest. And if strong fighters came sweeping through the area, the central region was sure to be one of their destinations! If he waited in the center of the forest and swamp for ten days, he could passively collect the points of the strong fighters in this World Zone. That was his best chance of competing for first place.

The first-place finisher in a World Zone could skip the arena battles and advance directly to the top one thousand in the Ganwu Universe Country.

For someone of his strength, the arena battles and Reincarnation Battles were nothing but a waste of time, utterly pointless. With those few years, he was confident he could raise his level of comprehension of the laws by another notch!

Three days later.

"Everyone, I'm sure you've heard by now, right? A powerful enemy with the nickname 'Nightmare' has appeared in our World Zone 44. His ranking is extremely high, so I propose that we work together and use our numbers to eliminate him."

A young man in a blue battle suit spoke.

"We all know how strong he is. In a one-on-one fight, none of us would survive! But there are nearly fifty experts on our side. If we attack together, we can at least give him a fight!"

"He's far too arrogant, occupying the center of the forest in World Zone 44 as if the rest of us don't exist."

"And if we don't deal with him now, he'll surely affect our rankings in the World Zone. None of you want someone lording it over you, do you?"

More than forty figures stood before the young man in blue. Most were loners. A few with two or three acquaintances stood together. They were a varied bunch, with different builds and features, but the young man in blue was the one who had brought them together!

Nearly fifty people had gathered here, each with their own specialty. To survive the initial chaos in World Zone 44, they had to be exceptional in either luck or talent. Even the weakest among them was a top-ranked genius in their star system.

They had only one goal: to kill Lu Yan'an, who had earned the arrogant nickname "Nightmare" in World Zone 44.

After the young man finished speaking, they considered his proposal for a moment before voicing their support.

"I'm in."

"Count me in!"

"I've never seen anyone so arrogant!"

Everyone chimed in, but they all agreed on the main point: they would join forces.

Just as they reached a consensus, suddenly—

A streak of black lightning shot through the bushes.

It reached them in an instant, revealing its form.

The newcomer wore gray-black armor, carried a long spear, and was surrounded by the aura of the wind element.

He was none other than the powerful fighter known as "Illusion Dream" in World Zone 44.

"Well, well. Are you planning to go after 'Nightmare'?" he asked calmly.

"That's right." The young man in blue had no idea how the news had reached this formidable figure, but he didn't dare show the slightest disrespect.

Illusion Dream nodded. "In that case, I came to the right place!"

As he spoke, a trace of green wind-element energy rose around him. His domain suddenly enveloped everyone present!

"Illusion Dream, you..." The young man in blue stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't understand why Illusion Dream had suddenly attacked their group.

Thirty seconds later, the domain faded, leaving nearly fifty corpses behind.

"Those weaklings thought they could kill a single Illusionist by relying on their numbers? Tsk, I almost feel like I shouldn't have bothered." With that, Illusion Dream shook his head, turned, and leapt into a tree. "Nightmare managed to make our Illusionist lineage famous, and you actually discussed how to surround another Illusionist right in front of one? You've got some nerve!"

"Now isn't the time. Just wait, Nightmare. In the end, you and I are bound to fight!"

Inside the lavish, spacious hall of a spacecraft.

Thousands of people sat there. They were the true ruling class of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Though the "Cosmic Humans—Peak Genius Tournament" was the first grand event hosted by the Virtual Universe Company for all the Universe Countries, the pressure from above had inevitably fallen on the people carrying it out below. The contestants representing each star region represented not only themselves, but also the face and honor of their respective empires.

Even the Emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire was paying close attention.

"Hahaha..." The Black Dragon Mountain Empire's emperor, clad in a dark robe, let out a hearty laugh that echoed through the hall.

At the very front of the hall stood an enormous screen. It displayed the number of contestants from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire who had passed the preliminary selection so far: 1. Lu Yan'an's name appeared beside it.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty."

"This young genius named Lu Yan'an broke into the top thousand in World Zone 44 on his seventh day there. It's only the seventh day!"

"Our people in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire are all incredibly excited and proud!"

One noble after another flattered the emperor. The other nobles chimed in as well. They were the empire's own nobility: World Lords, Domain Lords, and the emperors of more than five hundred elementary civilization nations under the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

The emperor's mood improved even further.

"Very good, very good."

"Reaching a qualifying rank by the seventh day proves that he has the ability to do so. As long as he isn't too unlucky, he should have no trouble passing the preliminary selection."

"At least our Black Dragon Mountain Empire won't come away empty-handed from the first Genius Tournament!"

The emperor laughed heartily and said in a booming voice, "My lords, drink with me!"

He raised his wine cup, and the nobles below followed suit. The hall was filled with lively celebration.

Suddenly—

Beside the emperor, a seemingly refined old man received an email. His brow furrowed, and for a moment he seemed unsure what to do.

The emperor glanced at him and noticed something was wrong. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

"Your Majesty, the people we sent out have located Lu Yan'an in World Zone 44 and have been monitoring him. But... his situation is dangerous."

"Oh?" The emperor's gaze sharpened.

Lu Yan'an having the strength to pass the preliminary selection was one thing, but if he encountered an excessively powerful opponent this early, he could still be eliminated.

"According to the message, forty-seven people were preparing to surround and attack Lu Yan'an. The weakest among them ranked in the top ten thousand in the World Zone!"

"Their plot was interrupted by a genius known as 'Meng Huan,' and they were wiped out!"

"Hahahaha! Isn't that good news? Even the heavens are helping Lu Yan'an," the emperor said dismissively.

"But Meng Huan's target is Lu Yan'an as well! And according to the intelligence, he's a genius Illusionist who has even grasped a trace of an Origin Law!"

The old man was one of the World Lords attending the banquet and the emperor's most trusted confidant. Even so, his expression was grave.

The emperor's expression changed at those words.

A genius Illusionist who had crossed the threshold of an Origin Law? Could anyone really be that outrageous?

A genius who crossed the threshold of the laws at the Star Level absolutely had the ability to compete for a place in the top one thousand in the Ganwu Universe Country! And with his talent as an Illusionist, "Illusion Dream" was certainly the kind of genius who could enter the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer!

Lu Yan'an had encountered such a genius so early!

The smile vanished from the emperor's face. In a low voice, he said, "Have our people immediately broadcast Lu Yan'an's current situation and put the footage on the screen up front!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The old man bowed, then immediately began making arrangements.

The screen in the hall soon displayed the footage.

The nobles looked on in confusion.

The emperor looked around, his expression solemn. "Lu Yan'an has encountered a formidable enemy in the World Zone, one he may find difficult to handle."

"But! Even if he's eliminated after a defeat, it won't be for lack of trying. He will still be the greatest contributor to our Black Dragon Mountain Empire! My lords, pray for him with me."

The thousands of people in the hall all sobered, their eyes fixed on the enormous screen.